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I don’t know about you, but for me, a trip to the supermarket is genuinely a highlight of my week! Maybe it’s normal… maybe I don’t get out much. But whatever it is, I still find it fun. With all the money saving tricks out there, I almost see it like a game to try and get the best price! We all know the essential money-saving tips, including using a loyalty card and cashback apps where you can.
For example, if you head in around lunchtime, you’re likely to find a lot of items discounted between 10-50%. At Asda, you’d pay 85p for 130 cotton buds in the beauty aisle… yet the baby aisle has a pack of 200 for just 50p. That’s more than 3x better value. 4. ‘Value packs’ might NOT be the best value Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… you shouldn’t judge a ‘value pack’ by its name either!
This exact thing happened to me when buying Quaker Oats in Tesco. The 10 sachets boxes were reduced from £3.50 to £2… while the ‘bigger pack’ 20 sachets box stayed on £5, so it’s £1 cheaper to buy two smaller boxes. As an example, just recently I found a bunch of 6 pre packaged bananas in the shop for 75p… but a bunch of 6 loose bananas weighed on the scales came back at 63p.
Your discount goes up if you’re a regular enough Duty Free shopper, but just for signing up, you get 5% off everything . So if you’re grabbing a Toblerone at the airport, be sure to get a bit of money off!What are your tips and tricks for bringing the price of your supermarket bills down? I’d love to know! Watch my tips on Netmums Instagram and TikTok, or email me on [email protected]
Many working parents are diversifying their income and looking for a side-hustle to run alongside their regular job. Fancy generating some extra cash but not sure where to start? Here are some money generating ideas for parents… Dan adds that if you’re able to dedicate a couple of hours a day to decluttering and selling items, you could start earning a notable amount.
‘The best part about this side hustle is that it’s not just one hit, it’s a regular cash stream that you can turn on and off depending on how busy you are,’ says Dan. ‘You can expect to earn £15 to £30 an hour,’ he continues. ‘These roles are flexible and you can work around the children and other commitments.
‘Searches for online focus groups increased by 184 per cent last year,’ says Dan, ‘and I meet parents up and down the country who find this side hustle fun, and relatively easy to top up their monthly income.’ ‘There are millions of spaces up and down the country that could be rented out and can earn you, on average, £200 a month.’ says Dan. ‘The benefits are that it is quick and easy. The time it takes to set up is minimal, especially if you have regular long-term renters.
We’re looking for parents – and parents-to-be – to try everything from air fryers and beauty products to toys and household gadgets. Successful applicants will get three bottles from the range to test and review over an eight-week period. To apply, any budding tasters need to send an email to [email protected] and include the below details:
Looking for some wine tasting tips? If you want to get practicing your wine tasting at home, Aldi’s ‘Mistress of Wine’ Sam Caporn has the following tips, based on the five S’s. 4. Sip: According to Sam, this is where the magic happens! ‘The aromas in your mouth go up your nose and the wine onto your taste buds, allowing you to appreciate the delicious flavours in the glass.’
It’s for those who are on certain benefits, including Income Support and Income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance, but not for anyone on Universal Credit. The maximum loan you can take out will be capped at the below amounts, for example if you’re single, have a partner or you or your partner claim Child Benefit. Will I need to pay the loan back? Yes. Anyone who takes out a Budgeting Loan from the DWP will have to pay it back.
How does it differ from a Budgeting Advance? Similar to a Budgeting Loan, there are some slight differences with the Budgeting Advance. ‘Today I focus on those falling into debt. Nearly £1m households on Universal Credit take out advance loans. Some council’s still have money left from the current round of funding, while others are waiting to see how much they will be allocated in the extended round.
What help can I get? Bromley Council is to give out £200 in the form of a virtual payment card to eligible applicants, which can be used for online or over-the-phone payments. Those who have previously received help through the council since June 2023 will not be eligible for help this time round, but anyone who benefitted from the support before 1 April 2023 can apply for the help, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.Am I eligible?You’ll also need to be experiencing one or more of the following :
It was initially introduced in 2021, with the DWP allocating £842 million of help to local councils this tax year. Other councils will be waiting to see how much of the £500m funding they will receive, before announcing how they will help their residents between now and September.If your local council is not here, check with your local authority to see what help might be available to you.
Martin Lewis has issued a warning ahead of mobile phone contracts increasing. This mid-contract hike is expected to come in from April, rising prices by 8%. You can do this by texting ‘INFO’ for free to 85075 – it will tell you if you’re free to leave your existing phone provider. Martin shared that the cheapest deals are only available through comparison sites – you can’t get these by going directly to providers. 3. Transfer your number over It’s easy to transfer your existing phone number over to your new contract. Simply text PAC to 65075 and it will give you a code to give to your new provider.
£266 boost Those on legacy benefits – such as Income Support and Housing Benefit – are to get an extra two weeks worth of payments to help the changeover to Universal Credit. Yesterday , the DWP announced it would be sending notices to 440,000 people by September 2024, moving them off legacy benefits and onto Universal Credit.
Will I get the extra payments? Families on four of these legacy-style benefits will get extra payments for a two-week period once they’ve applied for Universal Credit – to help adjust to Universal Credit’s monthly payments and also enable them to meet higher living costs. The last day of entitlement for those on DWP legacy-style benefits will be two weeks after the date they apply for the newer benefit, or the deadline stated in your migration letter.
The HSF was set to close on 31 March, meaning many schemes were distributing the very last of their current funding in the forms of cash grants and supermarket vouchers. ‘As food costs continue to soar, I hope the supermarket vouchers will come in handy to stock up on essentials.’Am I eligible? Tower Hamlets is offering the vouchers to families who are eligible for free school meals through schools in the borough.Where can I use the vouchers? The vouchers can be spent at Asda or Tesco.
Eligible applicants have to apply for the Fund through their local council, each of which sets out its eligibility criteria and how it intends to spend the money. Household Support Fund to be extended The HSF was set to end on 31 March 2024, however, the Chancellor announced in his Spring Budget on 6 March that it would be extended for a fifth time with a £500 million boost.
There you’ll find lots of Government-based advice on cash you might be entitled to, plus all the dates when you can expect the latest Cost of Living payments and other allowances to land in your bank account. DWP to move 440,000 people off existing benefits The DWP announced it will be sending notices to 440,000 people, moving them off legacy benefits and onto Universal Credit. It aims to do this by September 2024.
Who does managed migration affect? Here are the six legacy benefits that are being phased out, to be replaced by Universal Credit: How does the process work? If you have legacy benefits, you will at some point get a letter from the DWP about migrating you to Universal Credit. Remember to switch over If your benefits are stopping, you WON’T automatically be switched over to Universal Credit, so it’s important to switch over.
At the time, Martin’s Money Saving Expert website said the account offered an ‘unbeatable’ rate for easy access saver accounts and it proved so popular that Santander stopped accepting new applications just a week after it launched in September 2023. ‘Ditch and switch, move your money’ He added that there are other accounts out there that offer marginally better rates of savings that are worth switching to:‘Ditch and switch, move your money.’
Which account should I switch to? According to Money Saving Expert, the best easy access savings accounts on the market right now include those from Monument Bank, Secure Trust Bank and Cynergy Bank.‘The top rate for easy-access accounts is currently offered by app-based Monument Bank at 5.11%. It allows unlimited withdrawals, but its catch is that you need to save at least £25,000.
Changing couldn’t be easier either, as the Current Account Switch Service does all the hard work for you. While some – for example a rollout of free childcare for two year olds – were announced by Jeremy Hunt last November. 1. Rise in minimum wage – 1 April The Chancellor announced the National Living Wage will increase to £11.44 and hour, in his Autumn Statement in November, and confirmed this the spring Budget.Employees will see the pay boost after 1 April, when they are paid.
Currently, parents must pay the HICBC if they or their partner has an individual income that’s over £50,000. For every £100 earned over £50,000, parents must pay 1% back in a self-assessment. And the taper at which the charge is withdrawn is rising from £60,000 to £80,000. From 2026 the HICBC will become household based.
The 2% cut will amount to an extra £149 a year – or £12.42 a month – for someone earning £20,000, according to figures from Evelyn Partners.See a full and detailed explanation of how much you will save per month, based on the salary you earn here
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